Valve
AssigneeDyson Technology Limited
InventorMatthew Graham Legg
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
There is provided a valve for a reversible heat pump system, including six ports and three flow paths for a refrigerant, the three flow paths being selectable between different pairs of the six ports, wherein: two of the three flow paths are non-restrictive flow paths; and one of the three flow paths is a restrictive flow path. There is also provided a reversible heat pump system, including: the valve; a compressor; a process heat exchanger having input and output sides through which refrigerant is supplied and discharged respectively; and a rejection heat exchanger having input and output sides through which the refrigerant is supplied and discharged respectively, wherein the valve interconnects the compressor, the process heat exchanger and the rejection heat exchanger such that a refrigeration cycle can be established.
Claims20
A valve for a reversible heat pump system, the valve comprising:
- six ports;
- and
- three flow paths for a refrigerant, the three flow paths being selectable between different pairs of the six ports, wherein:
- two of the three flow paths are non-restrictive flow paths;
- and
- one of the three flow paths is a restrictive flow path,
- wherein the restrictive flow path is arranged to cause expansion of the refrigerant,
- wherein the amount of expansion of refrigerant caused by the restrictive flow path is variable as a function of the valve position, and
- wherein the restrictive flow path is arranged to cause a linear change in the expansion of the refrigerant as a function of the valve position.
A valve for a reversible heat pump system, the valve comprising:
- six ports;
- and
- three flow paths for a refrigerant, the three flow paths being selectable between different pairs of the six ports, wherein:
- two of the three flow paths are non-restrictive flow paths;
- and
- one of the three flow paths is a restrictive flow path,
- wherein the thermal conductivity of the valve between the non-restrictive flow paths is greater than the thermal conductivity of the valve between each of the non-restrictive flow paths and the restrictive flow path.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.